Wind farms do not perform as we have been led to believe. Check out this scholarly article, a portion of which is quoted here.
Wind farms require expensive subsidies to be built; because nature controls their output, wind farms require expensive back-up (duplication); since they generally are in remote locations, wind farms require expensive additions to the electrical grid; and since the electricity from wind farms is more expensive than electricity from alternative sources such as nuclear, coal, or natural gas, they require the consumers to pay a premium on this electricity through mandates or feed-in tariffs. Wind farms are a drain on the economy and, although they may provide some jobs, provide a benefit far below the actual costs. Government policies requiring subsidies and higher electricity rates will reduce national prosperity.
The need for subsidies is reinforced by the American Wind Energy Association which claimed, during the extension of US tax rates last month that without a continuation of a cash subsidy, rather than just a tax credit subsidy, employment in the wind industry would fall by about 20%. The need for back-up is illustrated by the fact that in spite of heavy investment in wind, Germany has failed to close one coal fired power plant. The expense of the expanded grid is illustrated by Federal Energy Regulatory Commission demanding that utilities that do not use wind power help pay for the grid necessary to deliver wind generated electricity from the Mid-West to the East. The increases in electricity rates due to wind power are reported in many articles such as the one in the Oregonian referenced below.
One can see the results of failed government policies on wind farm by driving through parts of Southern California, east of Los Angles, such as near Palm Springs, and seeing hundreds if not thousands of acres of wind farms that where shut down after the last wind mania passed. A similar fate will occur when consumers begin receiving escalating utility rates.
The Science and Environmental Policy Project (SEPP)
PLEASE NOTE: The complete TWTW, including the full text of the articles, can be downloaded in an easily printable form here.
We need to end the subsidies for forms of energy supplies that are not practical. This is a huge waste of our tax dollars.
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